But put even the most ardent supporter of fiat currency in an Armageddon scenario and he’ll prefer a bar of gold to a fistful of dollars.

If zombie Nazis are breaking down the door and you have only seconds to escape out the window, a conveniently placed gold bar is quick and easy to chuck in your knapsack and you can be almost certain that it will help buy your escape from some greedy freedom merchant in the street below.

But here’s the problem. Gold bars are worth a LOT of regular currency.

Even the Kruger Rand, the discerning refugee’s choice form of payment, costs a cool $1,665.73 in today’s (comparatively) stable environment, according to GoldCore’s Mark O’Byrne.

While $1,665 should be enough to buy safe passage to a brave new world, what if you already have a boat but need enough petrol to get you to your zombie-free safe haven? You could hardly expect the seller to have a handy supply of solid silver coins to provide you with change.